Eat it Up?
by ChubbyOwl
Summary: Cece and Rocky audition to become part of a dancing agency whilst Rocky develops an eating disorder. Logan and Ty fight as Logan pursues Rocky. RATED FOR TEENAGE THEMES EATING DISORDER
1. Chapter 1 (LETS DO THIS!)

Rocky looked at her watch. It was nearly 6. She had left her house at 5.30, telling her parents she was going straight over to Cece's. But she had told Cece that they would meet up at 6. She would've had 30 minutes to spend with Logan but he was late.

Just 7 minutes left.

She sighed and looked down. She tried to suck in her tummy. _Cece was so pretty and thin -and Cece eats at least the same amount as me – how come she looks the way she does? I work extra hard at school too, I try to always obey the rules. It just isn't fair, _Rocky thought.

Just 5 minutes left.

Suddenly Logan placed his warm hands on her shoulder.

"Heyhey!" he said, grinning. He swung her around and she nearly toppled over, surprised. "Careful!" he said and leaned in to kiss her lightly".

"Noooo..." Rocky squealed. "Wait...".

"What? I thought kissing at inappropriate times was our thing" Logan said, joking.

"We don't have a thing" she replied, but she blushed and smiled.

"C'mon" Logan said, leaning in to hug her.

"No..Please don't..Look at me..urghh.." she said quietly and gently.  
" Look at what? You're beautiful, Rocky..Okay?"he said.

"It doesn't matter. Don't worry" Rocky replied, sighing a little. Logan didn't understand.

"Well, anyway. I think you're amazing, Rocky. You are not just smart and interesting and kind and polite and trustworthy. You are talented and funny and unique. And you're beautiful. I know I sound like some mushy idiot but like, it's true..." he said. Rocky smiled.

It was silent. Rocky didn't know what to say.

_Oh my god. She thinks I'm an idiot. She's gonna hate me, _Logan thought. He continued "Urgh..anyway..". His voice cracked a little.

"What are you trying to say?" Rocky whispered under her breath.

"What I'm trying to say is..Do you want to go out with me, Rocky?" he said, boldly. He faded out a little at the end, as if he had lost confidence.

Rocky shook her head. "Umm..I don't think that's a good idea..I'm sorry.."

Logan looked upset and shocked. "No..No..Why, Rocky? Maybe I'm not smart or good looking but I thought you liked me..and I'm cute, right?" he said, jokingly, but Rocky could tell he was sad.

She shook her head in disbelief. "You don't understand, do you? You're FUNNY and COOL and I think you're so, so, so handsome and yes, cute. You are perfect."

"Then why not?" Logan asked.

"I knew you wouldn't get it. I'm sorry..I mean, look at me?". _Not good enough. Not smart, not pretty, not thin, not rebellious. Not good enough, _she thought.

"No Rocky. I'M not GOOD ENOUGH for YOU" he said.

Rocky checked the time. 2 to 6. She told Logan she had to go, and apologised. He seemed to tear up but simply looked embarrassed and said goodbye.

Rocky ran to Ceces.

"Hiii!" Rocky said.

"Heyyy" Cece laughed.

They did a complicated high-five routine and hugged, laughing at eachother.

"I missed ya" Cece said, giggling.

"I was here this morning..and at school Cece!"

"SO? I still missed ya!" she said, almost shouting.

They both giggled and walked in. Cece told Rocky that she had something to show her, and ran to grab her laptop. Flynn was sitting on the sofa. He looked at Rocky.

"Hey Rocky" he said.

"Hi Flynn. What's up?" she said, and sat down next to him.  
"You left your house at 5.30. You arrived here at 6.05. It takes about 10 minutes to get to our house from yours – and you're never late. Where were you?" he said, in a robotic voice.

Rocky laughed uneasily.

"So..where were you Rocky?" Flynn continued.

"Nowhere" she said in a very high voice.

Flynn narrowed his eyes and mouthed Logan. Rocky blushed and looked away. Cece ran in. "WHY SO AWKWARD GUYSS? FLYNN, MOVE!" she shouted, dancing round the room with her laptop. She showed Rocky what was on the screen.

**DARLOSTAR AGENCY – A TWO MONTH SEARCH FOR A DANCING STAR.**

**THIS SATURDAY COME ALONG TO THE VERY FIRST OPEN AUDITIONS AND DARLOSTAR AGENCY. ALL DANCERS WELCOME, EXPERIENCED OR NOT. COME ALONG FOR INITIAL REVIEWING AT THE SHOPPING CENTRE, STARTING AT 12.00. DANCERS WILL HAVE 3 SHOTS EACH IN A PHOTOSHOOT WEARING THEIR OWN OUTFITS. NO MAKE UP WILL BE ALLOWED.**

**THOSE SHORTLISTED WILL COME TO AN ACTING AUDITION AND LATER A DANCE. FINAL SHORTLISTS WILL SEND IN CONTACT INFORMATION, EXPERIENCES AND SKILLS AND THE TOP 3 WILL BE CHOSEN FOR A 5 YEAR CONTRACT WITHOUT ANY COSTS. OUR AGENCY ORGANISES DANCING GIGS FOR YOU, WITH AN ANNUAL PAY EACH YEAR, NO MATTER HOW MANY JOBS. 20 PERCENT COMISSION TAKEN. **

By this time Flynn had walked off.  
"IT'S PERFECT FOR US ROCKY!" Cece screamed. "AND IT'S TOMORROW".

Rocky was really excited. "And if we both got in, you could quit Shake it Up Chicago and we could be together again. Since it doesn't look like I'll ever be getting back in" she said. Realising that she wasn't talented enough for shake it up Chicago, she sighed and lost all enthusiasm.

"Cece, this is silly. If I can't make it into Shake it Up Chicago, then I can't make it into this agency".

"YES YOU CAN!" Cece screamed.

"Cece, no I can't. Lets think seriously about is an international company that usually holds private auditions, taking in 10 dancers from each country, except from the Americas, where they take 1 PER STATE. We won't make it"

"YES WE WILL! They are taking 3 dancers from ANYWHERE tomorrow. It'll be fine. We just have to do this!"

"Fine. I guess it'll be fun. I better get my beauty sleep!" Rocky said, jokingly. _I can't go through with this..but Cece will just get angry at me if I don't..I suppose I have to..It's not like I'll get to the next round anyway, _she thought.

Cece had a wonderful night. She stayed up late and had pizza with Flynn. She practiced some dance moves and then snaffled a load of chocolate. She laid on her bed, stuffed, and eventually fell asleep.

Rocky didn't have a good night. She felt so awful but she just sat quietly at home and had dinner with her family at 6.45. She did her homework and did some extra maths study. She tried to focus on schoolwork, but she honestly couldn't. At 9.30 she stood in front of the mirror, staring. _Everything was so stressful at the moment. School, Logan, Cece, Dancing, Logan, SCHOOL, her parent's bickering. How could she attempt to concentrate on everything? How could she be good at everything? She couldn't. She wasn't, _she thought.

She tugged at the fat around her stomach and her cheeks. _Urgh. No wonder Logan didn't like me_, she thought.

The next morning, her and Cece walked into the mall at 11.50.

Rocky looked fresh and interesting and sparky as she wore leggings, a tutu, sparkly legwarmers, doc martens, a vest top, and a sparkly hoodie without sleeves. She looked fun, though perhaps a little immature. Some of the girls lining up were wearing dresses and tons of make up, despite what the ad had said online. Rocky felt so fat and ugly compared to all of them. And even Cece looked better.

Cece had a big zit on her forehead and her hair looked a little greasy. Rocky had time to wash her hair that morning, but Cece got up too late. Cece didn't seem to care though, as she wore a tight mini-skirt, a vest and a cute glittery cardigan, and some high heels (borrowed from her mum). Rocky thought Cece looked really, really good compared to her.

The queue was very long, but eventually (after about an hour of waiting) they got near the end. There were just 3 girls in front, all standing in a group. They were all wearing lots of make up and were super skinny in tight black dresses and ridiculously high platform heels. They all looked so mature. Cece and Rocky looked really worried as they both furrowed their brows and bit their lips.

"Cece..." Rocky said.

"No. We're doing this, okay Rocky? We always do what you want. Work hard, dance...other stuff" Cece replied.

"One, Dancing is your thing too. Two, SINCE WHEN DO YOU STUDY? But y'know..I'll do this. I'm sure it'll be fine.."

Cece smiled and nodded.

The three girls in front suddenly all got ushered into the photoshoot room. Two minutes later they all walked out, stomping angrily, as a big man with dark sunglasses said in a booming voice 'NO MAKE UP, GIRLIES'.

Cece and Rocky grinned at eachother. The man told them each to go in.

Inside it was amazing: loads of bright lights that kept changing colours on white backgrounds, with so many fancy cameras. Cece and Rocky went to separate areas, but they could still see eachother.

Cece posed for her photos. One funky 'hippy' girl, one sultry, sexy-looking girl, and one crazy tongue out face. She laughed and thought she looked great.

Rocky took her shots in an entirely different direction. She thought the agency would look for someone versatile and would want her face and 'look'. Her face shot was simple: just a smile. Her two body shots were also well-thought: a laughing, dancey one with one of her arms thrown up in the air, and another one with her pouting a little and posing more like an adult. She felt so inadequate.

_Perhaps the judges will look for someone fun and interesting like Cece. After all, Cece is the sociable one. The best performer, _Rocky pondered.

Cece suddenly grabbed Rocky's arm, and the pair walked out. They went to a nearby cafe. Cece chose a double chocolate muffin and a packet of crisps, and a milkshake. She was really hungry after all the excitement. Rocky was so nervous about it. She decided to opt for something she could definitely keep down: a passionfruit smoothie.

"You're not trying to lose weight, are you Rocky?" Cece asked.

"No! Don't be silly Cece. I'm just nervous". Rocky thought about it. _Maybe I could be pretty if I lost some weight. But it wouldn't be healthy. Does Cece think I'm fat? She asked if I was losing weight. Maybe she wants me to lose weight. But I was only skipping a snack because I was nervous. No..I can't try and lose weight. I've heard about eating disorders. I need to man up._

"Look Cece. I'm happy the way I am. I might not be skinny-skinny but I AM fine. I WILL NOT lose weight because of what you or anyone else thinks" Rocky shouted.

"No..Rocky..You don't understand..I don't want you to lose weight. You're so pretty, you don't need to diet. I was just worried. Rocky..ROCKY!" Cece screamed as Rocky stormed off.

Rocky ran off. She saw the three skinny girls from the queue.

They saw her and walked over. They could all see that Rocky was upset, with tears running down her face.

"Did they chuck you out too?" they said, taunting her.

"Err..." Rocky said, trembling.

"Was it cos' you were too chubby? TOO FAT?" one of them said, giggling. Rocky suspected they were drunk. She could smell the alcohol on their breaths as they all stumbled, their mascara still running down their faces.

Rocky ran home.

She stared in the mirror. "I am so fat. So UGLY. So stupid. Why can't I do anything right? If I had lost one more mark in my maths test, I would've got a B. I never get Bs. And Ty – he's on Shake It Up Chicago with Cece. Dad was right. I'm not good enough to be a performer. NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR ANYTHING" she said, nearly screaming at her reflection.

Her dad called out "Are you okay, sweetie?". She replied "Yeah, fine Dad!". He continued to cook dinner.

But that evening, Rocky refused dinner, saying that she was very nervous and still felt full from her and Cece's lunch.

And that was when she decided.

She would show everyone.

Rocky WOULD be beautiful. Rocky WOULD be thin.


	2. Chapter 2 (Something's going on)

For the rest of the Weekend, Rocky had been starving herself. Sunday morning she skipped breakfast and went over to Cece's:

_Rocky knocked on the door at 10am. "Cece..." she said._

_"Rocky!" Cece shouted from behind the door. "I'm so sorry, I was just.."_

_"It's okay. Don't worry" Rocky said. They both hugged and walked inside. They messed around, joked, just talked about what they might do if they auditioned. Cece kept wanting to dance..but Rocky was too tired. She just didn't have enough energy. _

_At 12.30, Logan came round. Rocky kept trying not to look at him. She put her jumper back on. It was really baggy, and she thought that it hid her fat. _

_Cece ran to get pizza from the local takeaway. It was just Logan and Rocky._

_"So..Rocky.."_

_"No Logan. Please."_

_"Look. We kissed. C'mon. Can't we just try it?"_

_"Nope. Well, anyway. Look, not now."_

_"Wha..?"_

_Cece walked in on them. "URGH. LOGAN. GET AWAY FROM ROCKY". Normally, Rocky would've said something. But she couldn't be bothered. Logan looked upset at Rocky, and so he walked over to Cece and grabbed the pizza._

_He put it on the table and grabbed three slices, stuffing them in his mouth. Cece did the same. Rocky smiled, both happy to see how fun and comfortable her friends were, and glad to see they weren't going to try lose weight too, because if so Cece would always be thinner than her. Rocky refused any pizza. Cece looked annoyed and confused, but didn't say anything. Logan hadn't known Rocky like this though. He grabbed a slice and jokingly waved it in front of her. Rocky suddenly got very angry. She wondered why Logan didn't want her to be thin. Perhaps he didn't like her. He wanted her to be fat so that he had an excuse not to date her. Angrily she grabbed the pizza and smothered it over Logan's face until he was covered in tomato sauce. She shouted "LEAVE ME ALONE LOGAN" and squeezed Cece's hand, before running off. Little had she known that Ty had seen the whole thing from outside the window!_

_When Rocky got home she told her parents that she'd eaten lunch. At dinner time she said that she was really full, but had an orange and a slice of toast without butter. Ty knew she hadn't eaten lunch, but he said nothing._

On Monday morning, Rocky walked to school rather than taking the bus. She skipped breakfast too - but told her parents she'd bring some fruit to school. Ty knew she was lying and watched her stumble and trip as she slowly began the journey.

Ty got to school first. He saw Logan, leaning against his locker. He strode over.

"So. Logan." He said.

"What up?" Logan shouted, smiling. He put his hand up for a high five, but Ty ignored it.

"I have a bone to pick with you".

"What's wrong with you dude?"

"No Logan. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

"Wait. What the hell?"

"You've been messing around with my sister. I saw you and her at Cece's. And she hasn't been eating. Not Saturday night. Not all of Sunday until dinner, and then it was barely anything. What did you do? CALL HER FAT?"

"No..what?"

"JUST STAY AWAY FROM HER".

Logan shrugged his shoulders, aggravated but too upset to care.

The rest of the school morning Rocky isolated herself from almost everyone. She ignored Logan when he tried to talk to her in Lesson 1, and was so quiet. At break she spent the whole time studying. Cece tried to talk to her (when she wasn't asleep) but Rocky simply nodded and smiled and said "I'm fine, honestly".

At lunchtime she went to the canteen with Cece and Logan. Cece piled up her plated with chips and tater tots, whilst Logan opted for pizza and chocolate cake and soda. They sat down. Rocky grabbed a milkshake and an apple. She nibbled on half the apple but drank her milkshake readily. Logan stared at her. "Aren't you hungry?" he said. "No..umm...I had a massive breakfast".

"No you didn't. Ty said.." Logan replied.

"Forget what Ty said. He was probably lying. Anyway..er...Cece.."

The conversation continued, but with little enthusiasm. Rocky kept complaining about how awful and dizzy she felt, and Logan just kept staring at her. _Does Logan like Rocky? Urgh, _Cece thought.

When school finally finished, Rocky went over to Cece's. They sat, waiting for the call. The agency had said that the next stage of auditions, the acting, would be the following weekend – however those invited to that stage would be notified Monday night.

They both waited eagerly.

At the same time, they both received a call.

Listening in, this is what they heard:

Cece: Cece Jones. You are one of two hundred finalists moving on to the next stage of the DARLOSTAR AGENCY SEARCH. Please be at your local shopping centre on Saturday, 10 am. You will be handed a script and will have 10 minutes to rehearse in a pair before showing and judging.

Rocky: Rocky Blue. You are one of two hundred finalists. Please be at your local shopping centre on Saturday at 10am to be part of the next stage of DARLOSTAR AGENCY SEARCH. When all have arrived you will be put into pairs and given a script to practice with for 10 minutes before showing and judging.

Rocky, forgetting how tired she felt, jumped up and down with Cece as they screamed and YAYed. For a moment, Rocky forgot all the bad things that were happening.

The week continued in the same way as before. Rocky became more and more isolated, until eventually she barely talked to Cece, and when she did she only snapped. She started jogging more and started eating at every meal, but only a little. It kept her going and easily fooled everyone: a glass of juice in the morning, a milkshake at lunch with some carrot sticks, and at dinner a potato, all her vegetables, and none of her meat. She could cut things up and spread them around the plate until it looked as if she was eating.

And though Cece struggled...it was very soon Saturday Morning.

That morning, Rocky weighed herself. 6 pounds, gone. She looked in the mirror – "WHERE HAS IT GONE?" she wondered. She seemed fatter than before. And yet she felt so, so weak. She put on some leggings and a loose printed tee that covered her arms. She put on some legwarmers and doc martens too, as well as a couple of necklaces. It WAS her usual style..but everything just looked a little baggier, a little less fitted, and a little less...trendy. She still looked pretty though.

She met up with Cece. Cece's mum gave them a lift to the mall, where they both skipped in. They saw the same building where the photoshoots were held, though this time there was only a very small queue.

They waited. As they were in the queue, Cece decided to talk to Rocky about how she had been acting.

"Rocky. I know you don't wanna talk about this..but I really wanna know why you've been acting so weird. We are best friends. You can tell me anything"

"Please..Cece I'm fine. I'm just very stressed with all these auditions and school and not being on Shake it Up. It's difficult. I'm sorry for being so snappy and mean."

"That's okay Rocky! I'm just glad you're okay. Phew!" she said, laughing. They both hugged and talked about everything they'd done over the week. Cece talked about the cute guy she'd seen in the hallway who she hoped might ask her out, and then about how she'd failed six maths exams in a row (which was a new record of hers). She started moaning about Flynn too. Then she asked Rocky "What about you?".

Rocky didn't know what to say. She'd got through every lesson, but almost as if each one was a chore. All she'd been thinking about was food and eating and herself. Eventually, Rocky thought of something.

"Ty has been so annoying too. He keeps spying on me and it's so aggravating!". She continued, moaning and moaning. Cece nodded. They both complained about their brothers.

The same big man with sunglasses let them through the doorway. Again they were shocked by how different the room was: it had one massive stage and lots of little 'rooms' created through using curtains as walls. A man in a fancy suit called for everyone to gather around. He asked everyone to go into pairs and handed out scripts.

In one of the curtain-rooms, Cece and Rocky practiced. Rocky became very nervous. Her knees shook. _Cece sounds so good. And the other girls. I can hear them through the curtains. I sound like a little child. What if I go on stage and people laugh at me? They have put me through to this round without even hearing my voice. People WILL laugh at me. Or call me the fat one. Poor Cece. What if I let her down-_

Suddenly Cece shook Rocky's shoulder. Rocky awoke from her dreamy state.

"Rocky, come on! They're calling US back. We're pair 29, remember? C'MON!'' Cece whispered, almost bursting with excitement.

Together they performed. It was only a 2 minute long performance, but Rocky found it difficult to focus. Usually she could concentrate..but she felt so hopeless.

She kept up the excited, happy act all the way home. But when she got home, she immediately ran to her room and cried. She stared into the mirror. She spoke softly to herself. "Don't let anyone down. You will be thin and pretty. Not as pretty as the other girls, but prettier. Maybe even near perfect". Then she looked at her body.

"You WILL work harder, you fat lump. 6 POUNDS? You can do better." And as she said those words, she turned off the light and laid on her bed, sobbing.

Rocky woke up. It was not yet midnight. She felt so cold, uet sweaty. She was so ancious and her heart was racing. She felt her head. It was boiling.

She got up and grabbed a glass of water. As she gulped it down, she began to feel very dizzy and weak. She went to the bathroom to get a cold flannel. Then she looked at herself in the mirror: her sight became fuzzy. She felt a sudden urge to eat. EAT. EAT ANYTHING.

She ran into the kitchen and opened the cupboards, not caring how loud she was. She grabbed all the chocolate bars her mum hid at the back. One 100g bar gone. Then two. She moved onto the cereal drawer. She stuffed her face with handfuls of cornflakes and rice crispies. She ran to another counter: she began to throw slices of bread into her mouth.

She opened the fridge.

Gulping orange juice down, she noticed a large chocolate cake. It was for her dad's birthday (the next day).

"Don't do it" she whispered to herself, but handfuls of the ganache covered fudgey cake were already in her mouth. She felt disgusting.

She taunted herself: YOU'RE FAT. WORTHLESS. WEAK.

Rocky brushed her teeth and laid on her bed, angry. She tossed and turned, but could not sleep.

She got up and grabbed her school bag. Rocky opened her pencil case and smashed a sharpener up. She took the blade out and drew it over her wrist. The blood appeared almost instantly, and oozed out. Its colour glimmered in the light: Rocky closed her eyes and continued: one cut, two cut, three cuts..at least 14 paralleled up her forearm. She did the same on the other arm..She stopped to take a breath and fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3 (Sparks are Flying)

Ty woke up, later than the rest of his family. He gazed at the clock. School would start in just half an hour – if Ty didn't hurry up, he'd be late. Ty ran downstairs and walked in on the rest of his family. Rocky was drinking a glass of water. His mother and father were eating cereal and toast, as usual.

Ty thought to himself "Something is definitely wrong. Rocky hasn't been eating all week. And I heard something last week..I don't know what. In the kitchen, then noises in her room. This can't go on."

He glared at Rocky. She smiled weakly and said she needed to pack her schoolbag. Her dad stopped her.  
"Rocky? Ty? I want to talk to you about something. Last night, I believe there was some sort of animal in our house. However this morning I noticed that some things have been eaten in our fridge..including MY cake. MY CAKE. Animal's can't open the fridge. I am very disappointed in both of you. You're mother spent a lot of time on that cake – and I've told you not to eat during the night. It isn't good for you. Now..who was it? And was it just the cake? Or were you the er..animal?"

Rocky looked down at herself. She felt so angry, so stupid, so..wrong..She was the good girl.

It was silent for a few seconds.

Ty suddenly spoke.  
"Umm..It was me, dad. I'm really sorry. I have some pocket money saved up: I'll pay for a new one. I promise. I was really HUNGRY last night. I'm just going to grab a snack and get dressed for school. I'm really sorry dad"

Their father stared at Ty. "Well that's very good of you to admit it, Ty. I will speak with you later. But for now – BOTH of you – get to school!"

Ty chased after Rocky.

"Rocky"

"What?" she said.

"I know it's you"

"What do you mean?" Rocky said, scared and worried.

"I'm no idiot, Rocky. You ate the cake, and took all the snacks from the kitchen. I heard you. And you've been starving yourself all week."

Rocky already regretted everything that had happened last night. She could feel all the cuts up her arms, and she'd had to clean up all the blood.

But now, she felt so much worse.  
"No Ty! Of course I haven't been starving myself! I've been eating...some stuff...and last night, that just proves I'm not starving myself too! Ty I need to get changed for school. You should too."

"Alright, alright! Off ya'go then" Ty said. He smiled, but he knew Rocky was lying. He made a pact to watch her from now on, and see when she was eating.

Ty got on the bus and watched Rocky walk to school, tripping over her feet because of her weak legs. Ty knew she hadn't had breakfast. He sighed to himself.

_Why?_ He asked himself. _Why is she doing this?_

When Ty arrived at school, Logan was already there. Since the last argument, Logan had been avoiding Ty – and the action was mutual. They sat on the far side of each classroom, if they made eye contact they would immediately turn around – and if they were in the same line in the canteen Ty would just walk out of the queue and go to the back. Logan was angry at Ty, but he wished they'd talk. He wanted to know if Rocky was okay. But Ty simply got angrier and angrier at Logan; because every time Ty saw Rocky, he imagined Logan bullying and taunting his little sister.

But Ty was going to talk to Logan. It had been over a week. This couldn't go on.

"Logan"

"Finally, you're talking to me. I want to know what's happening with Ro-"

"WHAT'S HAPPENING? WHAT'S HAPPENING? I think you know what's wrong. She's starving herself, er, MATE. And I don't even know what happened last night..ALL I KNOW IS THAT IT'S YOUR- "

"WHAT? What actually happened? Rocky hasn't been talking to me and I NEED to know. Ty – Ty" Logan shouted, but Ty had already started to walk off.

Suddenly Ty turned around.

"SHE'S STOPPED EATING, STOPPED TALKING – SHE'S NOT ROCKY ANYMORE DUDE. SHE'S GONE. AND LAST NIGHT..I DONT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED..BUT SOMETHIN'. She ate so much food..on her own..and was all defens-

THIS IS YOUR FAULT, LOGAN!" Ty shouted and then ran off.

Logan leaned against the locker and covered his eyes. Tears formed but he wiped them away and ran off. He walked to the library, where he knew no one would see him.

As he got there, he decided what to do: he'd find out everything about what..whatever was wrong with Rocky and then maybe she'd open up to him again. _It was a long shot..but it would be amazing if it worked, _Logan thought.

He logged onto the computer and searched various titles: starving self, friend not eating, not eating then eating lots. He read lots of traits and personality descriptions as well as symptoms. Eventually Logan decided Rocky was developing an eating disorder, most likely anorexia. And that what happened was likely to be binging. But when he read everything, it didn't seem real. "Of course this stuff isn't happening to Rocky" he said, forcing a chuckle.

Although he knew that something was wrong, he didn't fully believe this was happening to Rocky. It was too dramatic, too weird, too..odd..

Logan went to register in class. Rocky was at the back, her hair covering her face as she leaned over her desk. She had dark circles under her eyes and her face had lost its glow. She held her stomach with one hand, and used the other to draw painstakingly detailed drawings. Logan couldn't see what she was doing – and even when he sat next to her (opposite from Cece, who made weird hand signals in an attempt to tell him that Rocky was still acting weird and unsociable) she used her other arm to cover her work.

Rocky was drawing pictures of stick-thin girls next to herself. She'd even drawn one of Cece. She screwed it up and threw it in the bedroom, looking at her two friends.

"Rocky.." Cece began..

"WHAT? STOP. JUST STOP. I'M FINE." Rocky shouted abruptly. Everyone stared at her, including the registration teacher.

"I am very sorry Sir. That was inappropriate. Please don't..err...punish me.." she said meekly.

The teacher nodded knowingly and sat down. "That's fine Rocky. I've marked you and..your, er, friends in so if there is something wrong please talk to them about it outside. Okay?" he said. Rocky nodded.

"CALM DOWN." Cece snapped.

"Please..please leave me alone" Rocky said, sighing.

"Rocky..c'mon..you can talk to me" Logan said..

"SHUT UP LOGAN" Cece whispered, annoyed. _He DEFINITELY likes Rocky. URGH. _

"No...Rocky..I've read a lot..about umm..ano..rex...iaaaa..." he said, his voice hushed.

"ANO-WHAT?" Cece laughed.

Rocky was upset. She hadn't got an eating disorder..she was far too fat...AND if she had, why was Cece laughing? It was all too much.  
"LEAVE ME ALONE. SHUT UP..LOGAN!" she shouted. The teacher stared at her.

Rocky turned to look at Logan and Cece as she got up to run out the door.

"Well why don't you talk to Ty? He's the one who has been getting on MY back because of you NOT EATING!" Logan shouted. The teacher frowned. He mouthed "Don't worry. Go talk to Rocky" to Logan but gestured for Cece to sit. He sensed that this was something serious that Logan, alone, would deal with best.

Rocky tripped on her own feet. She laid on the floor in agonizing pain, too weak to pull herself up.

"Rocky." Logan called for her.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry..Please don't be mad..I'm so sorry, I'm sorry I'm sorry" she repeated as Logan sat down next to her. She laid her head on his shoulder. He stroked her hair.

"It's okay Rocky" he told her. "I just want what is best for you". He helped her get up.

"No. That's enough. Thank you" Rocky said, trying to be graceful.

"No. Talk to me" Logan pursued.

"I'm sorry Logan. Thank you for understanding. But nothing is wrong. I am fine. Honestly. I'm just a little stressed" Rocky said, nodding her head. She tried to be confident but her voice was trembly and weak.

As she walked off, Logan grabbed her sleeve.

Because she was moving, the sleeve was pulled up. Logan noticed a painful line of raw red cuts up her arms. He looked into Rocky's eyes.

"Wha..?" Logan began.

"Er..er..Um..Cat scratches..um..thank you...bye" Rocky gabbled as she ran off, pulling her sleeve down.

Logan thought to himself: _No..no way..this can't be happening..they were awful..her arms were bright red..perhaps Ty was right. Maybe she is starving herself. She looks a lot thinner and unhealthier. Her leggings are all baggy and weird...But I just cannot get those cuts out of my head..I need to talk to her..but not yet..I need to get my head around this first.._

Rocky ran back to class.

The rest of the day was a huge trial. Rocky tried to avoid Cece, and tried to talk to Logan, who in turn avoided Rocky.

But Rocky would have to talk to Cece eventually. They had arranged to meet for a dance practice on Wednesday, so that they would be ready for the auditions on Friday evening.

It was now middle of the week. Rocky had eaten just a slice of bread at dinner and an orange on Monday, and had completely fasted on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Rocky had eaten half an apple. She had felt dizzy the whole day and was struggling to walk. She had, on many occasions, tried to talk to Logan, but he refused to speak to her. Rocky cut every night. Not much, just a little.

Rocky walked over to Cece's house afterschool.

"Hey Cece!"

"Er Hi ROCKY. Where have you been all week? I've had to go around with the cheerleaders. EVERYWHERE WE GO ITS WE HAVE TO CHEER. 'YAY FOR CANTEEN FOOD! MYSTERYYY MEATTT!'. "

Rocky laughed.

"I'm sorry Cece. I haven't been feeling very well. But I'm ready to practice for the dance."

"Well good. But seriously!? You don't look very well. Make sure you get lots of sleep and eat lots of food and snacks for energy, okay?"

"YES, YES I KNOW CECE! And since when did you listen in health class?"

They both burst into laughter and fell on the floor in a heap.

"I'm glad you're fine Rocky. Anyway..LETS DANCE"

Together they practiced. Really hard. And inevitably, Rocky tired very quickly. Cece grabbed a chocolate bar. Rocky gazed at it.

"Rocky, have a bite" Cece said.

"No thanks Cece" Rocky replied, as Logan walked in. He glared at Rocky. He saw Rocky shake her head at the treat. He rose to anger.

"HEY CECE!" He shouted

"Hey WHAT Logan?" Cece replied angrily..

"HEY YOU! How is your best friend? Have you noticed anything different?" He asked her.

"What? Rocky's fine, she keeps telling me".

"Yeah? Look at her arms. Yeah, pull the sleeves up. She's self harming. And look at her outfit. Something different? Yeah, it's falling off her cos' she's starving herself. AND I'M SICK OF IT."

Rocky whimpered in the corner.

For a moment, Logan felt bad. He realised that it was harder for Rocky than himself. But he decided that the best way to get Rocky better was to punish her.

Cece became very angry at Logan. _Of course Rocky was fine,_ she told herself. _Logan is just making it up._

As Rocky left Cece's house, she cried to herself.

_What did I do wrong?_

_Cece doesn't know me, Logan won't talk to me. I thought he might understand. He can see what's happening to me, and yet he does nothing. He cannot love me. He must hate me._

_Well I will prove it to him. Rocky Blue is strong, powerful and WILL be beautiful. _


	4. Chapter 4 (Regrets)

Cece woke up on Friday morning, ready for the dance auditions that evening. She had been practicing with Rocky each evening, despite how tired Rocky always got. But Cece merely dismissed it as Rocky working herself too hard. She kept thinking about what Logan had said. She wouldn't believe it though. It was Logan, after all.

Cece got up at her usual time (with only 20 minutes to get to school). She spent quarter of an hour doing her hair and make up, and quickly slipped on an outfit. With three minutes left she grabbed a chocolate bar and (due to Rocky's constant health concerns for Cece) a banana. She ran to school and arrived just a few minutes late. She walked into the classroom: "I'M HEREEE!" she laughed. She looked over at Rocky, who would usually have made some clever remark that would involve Cece sitting down. People would laugh at that. Unfortunately, Rocky was simply resting her head on the table, not aware of what was happening.

So instead of laughing with Rocky and Cece, the class stared at Cece. Her cheeks became a bright red as she walked over to her chair, embarrassed. She looked at Rocky, who slowly lifted her head and smiled weakly – completely oblivious.

Cece thought to herself: _Maybe..maybe something is wrong with Rocky.._

The rest of the day was a bore. Cece kept trying to talk to Rocky, but it was difficult, and any conversation was stilted. Rocky, meanwhile, had been starving herself each day. She never ate more than 300 calories, and that was mainly out of vegetables. She had cut herself one other time, but kept telling herself that she'd stop it.

At lunch, Cece went to talk to Logan.

"I think that you might've been..right..Logan" she said to him.

"OH WOW, REALLY? YOU DON'T SAY!" Logan replied sarcastically. He picked up his bag and went to walk off.

Cece grabbed his shoulder.

"Logan, listen. Something is wrong. I know I've been denying it. But I've realised now."

"I don't care about Rocky. She's such an idiot. There's nothing wrong. She's just attention seeking. She'll be fine. URGH."

Logan didn't really mean what he said. He was just so angry. He couldn't deal with what was happening.

Rocky sat in the library, clutching her stomach and holding her head. She was always so tired, but she liked the empty, airy feeling. She felt weak yet powerful.

Logan walked to the canteen, still angry. He cursed to himself. Then he thought of Rocky. He still loved her, a lot. _Why is she doing this to herself? It's so stupid. What is she trying to do? She's so beautiful and amazing and she's destroying herself._ He thought. _In fact. I'm gonna tell her that right now. _

He saw Rocky, who was sitting in the corner on a table on her own. She sipped some water and seemed to be doing some homework. Logan strode over to her.

"JUST STOP ROCKY" he shouted. Rocky looked up. Tears formed in her eyes. Her lip trembled.

"YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT. CAN'T YOU SEE WHAT YOU ARE DOING TO YOURSELF? I HATE YOU. YOU'RE SO..ANNOYING. JUST GIVE EVERYONE A BREAK. LEAVE EVERYONE ALONE" he blurted. He was shocked at what he said, but he couldn't help it. He wanted Rocky to be back to normal, to be okay. But he'd tried being nice, trying to help. She just kept pushing him away, and he didn't like it.

Rocky began to cry. She stood up, stared at Logan, and then ran off. She ran to the toilets.

Rocky leaned against the wall in the girls bathroom. She took out a blade that she'd been keeping in her pencil case, and used it to slash her arm. She was used to the feeling and the motion of cutting herself now, so she did it quickly and easily. Each cut immediately erupted into scarlet flames that stung as they dripped. A small puddle fell on the floor. She covered the cuts with her sleeve and carried on with school.

She texted Cece after school, and they planned to meet at the dance auditions.

After school, Cece walked home. She opened the door to find Logan sprawled on the sofa, eating some popcorn.

"HEYYYY CECE" Logan said. He belched loudly.

"GROSS LOGAN!" Cece moaned. She walked behind the sofa, shoved him and then started practicing her dance moves.

"HEY!" Logan snapped. He got up.

"Nice dancing" he scoffed.  
"SHUT UP" Cece screeched in return. "I'm a good dancer" she continued.

"Yeah? Rocky's way better. And cuter." He said. The end bit slipped out.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Cece replied.

"Er..nothing.." Logan said sheepishly.

"I heard you" Cece muttered. "And don't mess with her. You're probably the reason why whatever is happening with her is happening"

"WHAT?" Logan was hurt. "NOTHING IS WRONG WITH HER." Logan shouted.

"Yeah? Come with me to the dance auditions. You'll see." She told him.

"FINE." He said.

Cece and Logan walked to the dance auditions. This was it. Their best chance to become famous dancers: they had to take it.

Cece saw Rocky. "Rocky!" she called. Rocky ran over. She had some energy after a snack – it was the first food to pass her lips for 2 days. She felt so alive, so awake – so ready. Her head spun..but she was sure it was just nerves.

"Hi Cece!" she said back. "Umm..Hi Logan" she continued nervously.

"Whatever" he replied coldly.

The three walked in together. It was amazing: a large stage with dozens of lights and cameras. A stage crew swarmed round the pair, asking for names and ages and date-of-births whilst applying foundation and mascara and blusher to both of them.

As they spluttered and spat whilst they fluffed and pampered them, thrusting feathers and sparkles into their mouths (hopefully by accident). Suddenly they were both ushered onto the stage, along with 3 other candidates. The other three girls were all very beautiful, with fantastical hairstyles and tiny dresses.

Cece was wearing a cute dress, but it wasn't as short – or as tight – as the other girls. She looked trendy, with a silver blazer, a black bowler hat, and a pair of short black boots and fishnets. Rocky would've looked beautiful, in her sequined shorts, patterned custom converse, purple t-shirt and neon legwarmers – but she was too emaciated. In a short amount of time she had lost a lot of weight, and now had a bony face and knees that jutted out. She had to keep hitching her shorts up too.

An official lady bleated in a robot voice : "YOU WILL BE SHOWN A SIMPLE ROUTINE AND WILL HAVE 5 MINUTES TO PRACTICE IT BEFORE AN OFFICIAL PERFORMANCE. WE WILL THEN PLAY A SMALL CLIP OF A SONG AND WILL GIVE EACH CANDIDATE A CHANCE TO IMPROVISE."

The candidates talked to eachother, surprised. The lady continued.

"THE DANCE IS AS FOLLOWS".

An upbeat blonde thirty-something bounced on stage. She began a complicated but thankfully short routine, mainly in the street style. The 'teacher' finished the dance and walked off, giving them five minutes to practice.

Rocky and Cece looked round at the others. One had already picked up the dance and was simply applying lipgloss and practicing neat tricks for her improvisation. She seemed to be trained in ballet and could do lots of pirouettes. The two others both seemed friends and practiced together. They danced a little awkwardly, and their dancing was a little disjointed. However, they stumbled through the routine and went to practice their improvisation. They were extremely talented at jazz dancing and fairly good at ballet too. One of them could do a neat-handstandy-trick, like a half-flip.

Cece and Rocky began to practice. They could both perform it with some success, though it wasn't very 'slick' (as Cece said). Rocky decided that they should focus on their improvisation.

Cece did part of a routine they'd learned on Shake it Up Chicago, but finished it in the splits. Rocky began on a routine she knew, but then added on her own almost-pirouette ending, and did a backflip. She had been practicing all week: she hadn't told Cece because she was worried that they would prefer Cece over her, and Rocky thought that an extra 'move' might make them even. Cece was a bit annoyed but shrugged it off and carried on. _I suppose I could've taught myself something if I'd have bothered to_, she thought.

The official lady began to bleat again, causing all the candidates to jump in shock:

"WILL ALL THE CANDIDATES PLEASE STEP FORWARD AND PERFORM THE SET ROUTINE. EACH CANDIDATE'S DANCE WILL BE RECORDED FOR FUTURE REFERENCE DURING THE PROCESSING. YOU WILL HAVE ONE CHANCE. NO REPEATING"

Rocky and Cece, along with the others, stepped forward. Both completed the routine fairly successfully, with no major slip ups. The girl farthest away from them performed it excellently, but the two in the middle were not any better than Rocky and Cece. One of them forgot the last two moves at the end, and almost burst into tears.

Logan was sitting in the crowd. He had been watching them, but especially Rocky. He wanted to talk to her so much, but he was also so angry at her. And he was angry at himself for being such a jerk.

The official lady held everyone's attention and gestured for the first girl to improvise. The ballet-girl did her pirouettes and arabesques. She was very confident of herself and had a smug smile as she finished. Cece sneered at her, whilst Rocky stared at her, mesmerized. _She is so talented..and thin...I bet Logan would like to date her..He's probably looking at her right now_, Rocky thought.

Next, the two friends in the middle improvised (each on their own). The one that messed up initially performed the best. She did her handstand-y trick and smiled to herself as she finished. The other did well, but her kicks were not as high, her transitions not as fluid, and her arm movements not as neat.

Cece was then gestured to improvise. She did her routine. Logan tried to scoff again, but even he had to admit that she was 'pretty good'. Cece grinned and winked at the judges, oozing charisma. She nudged Rocky once she had finished.

Rocky was called forward. She sighed to herself._ I won't do well. I haven't had enough time to practice – WHY DO I NEED SO MUCH TIME TO PRACTICE? I'M SUCH AN AWFUL DANCER. I don't deserve an opportunity like this._

Rocky looked at Logan as she took a step to the front of the stage. Their eyes met. All the thoughts flooded back.

_And Logan. He's so good looking and funny and smart and kind and sweet and...I'm so ugly and fat and stupid. WHY AREN'T I CONCENTRATING? URGH. I NEED TO FOCUS. THINK, ROCKY, THINK. YOU CAN DO THIS,_ she thought to herself.

Rocky held her head. She felt dizzy and ill. Her energy had run out. Slowly she nodded for the music to start. She performed fairly well, though not as clean and neat as she usually was. It came to her ending: the flip. She flipped once. She prepared to flip again. She felt an ache in her head, and then her sight began to fade.

Rocky tried to scream, but it came out more like a weak wail. She fell to the floor. Rocky had fainted.

Logan jumped up from his seat and ran to Rocky. Cece screamed and fell to the floor, next to Rocky. The three girls all took deep inward breaths and gathered together, whispering in hushed tones. A couple of qualified first aiders ran up and checked Rocky over.

Logan held Rocky's hand.

"Rocky..no..please Rocky..Wake up..Is she okay? I've been such a jerk and now..she'll hate me..Rocky...Rockkyyyy..." Logan whispered to her.

One of the first aiders announced her state: "She'll be fine. I will be talking to her doctor as she is very underweight. She is not a severe case so we'll keep a track on her, but there is no need to take action unless she's been showing some issues with her mental health". They packed up.

"Have any of you two noticed anything wrong with her?" they asked. Cece and Logan looked at eachother. Both of them did not want to lose Rocky. Together, in unison, they answered a resounding "NO". It was a lie – but Rocky was their friend.

Rocky began to open her eyes. She slowly stood up. As she was nearly upright, she fell again. Logan supported her. The official lady ordered everyone out and thanked them for their auditioning.

Cece, shocked by what had happened, ran home. She apologised to Rocky and told her 'I just need tonight to get over what's happened'. Rocky was very understanding and ashamed of herself. She asked Logan to go home too, but he refused and walked her home. She was a little early, and Rockys parents were not yet back. Ty was in his room, doing homework and practicing rapping.

Logan sat Rocky down. He ran to her kitchen and grabbed a slice of bread. He buttered it thickly and brought it to Rocky.

"First thing. Are you okay?" he asked her. He squeezed her hand.  
"I'm FINEEE!" she replied, shaking her head in disbelief. She wriggled away from Logan.

"Good. Then eat this" he shoved the bread into her mouth. Rocky clamped her lips shut before the bread got to it. She turned away.

"NO. I'M NOT EATING THAT"

"WHY, ROCKY?" Logan asked.

"I'm not hungry" she replied.

"I know you are. You fainted. EAT SOMETHING. PLEASE, ROCKY". Logan's voice broke a little.

Rocky looked at him. She suddenly embraced him, resting her head on his chest.

"ZAM! - Logan likes the love" he joked, distracted. Rocky pretended to swat him. They snuggled. Rocky embraced his warmth. He played with her hair.

"You're beautiful, Rocky" he told her. He went to put the bread down – then remembered. He moved her head.

"Wha-?" Rocky began.

"NO. EAT THE BREAD" he demanded.

"One bite.." Rocky said, sighing. She had one bite, then another, then another; suddenly, the slice was gone. She wiped the crumbs off her face and began to sob. Heavy tears rolled down her hollow cheeks. Logan hugged her tightly.

"Thank you".

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME? WHY CAN'T I STOP EATING? WHY CAN'T I EAT?" she tried to shout. But her voice was weak and thin, and could barely be heard. Logan comforted her. "It's gonna be okay, kay?" he said, trying to lighten the mood..

They both heard a knock on the door.

"WE'RE HOME!" Rocky's parents shouted from behind the door.

"Oh my god. What am I doing? I'm such an idiot. We're just friends, okay Logan? JUST FRIENDS" she gabbled. Logan was hurt, but he had realised that Rocky still had feelings for him. He ignored her and got up.

Rocky ran to her room – Logan ran to Ty.

In Ty's room, Logan explained what had happened. Ty seemed very upset and very concerned. Logan promised that he'd do everything he could to help Rocky. Ty agreed, and the two reconciled. They agreed to be friends again, for Rocky's sake. Ty finished the conversation with "I don't care if my sister has a eating disorder or not..but you, my good friend, are NOT dating her. I still don't know what's going on..but it's related to you SOMEHOW".


	5. Chapter 5 (MAKE A CHOICE)

The next day (Saturday) Rocky woke up early. She hadn't told her parents about the incident at the dance auditions, but she knew that Ty knew. She got up and did 50 sit ups. Exhausted, she laid on her bed. She did some studying, but she couldn't focus. Her head ached and her legs were too weak to hold her up. She leaned on the wall and slowly moved to the kitchen.

Grabbing an apple, she carefully cut it up into small chunks and ate it in tiny bites – hoping that it would last as long as possible. She thought to herself: _When did things get this bad? I can barely sleep, I can't eat. But I don't want to eat. I can't not eat. It's harder and harder to study...And Cece. Poor Cece. I'm such an awful friend to her. I mess her around, ignore her. WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME? _

_Oh. And Logan. He was so mean..and then yesterday..I probably looked so disgusting to him..Eating loads of food, crumbs over my face.._

_I better text Cece._

Rocky got out her phone and texted Cece. She looked at the time: 7.48. Time must have flown since she'd got up at 5.30. She stared at the leftover apple core, wondering where it had all gone. She knew where it had gone. _Round my middle, all over my thighs._

'Hey Cece! Sleepover tonight? The shortlistings, that's the top 9, will be called between 6pm and 7pm! And TOMORROW morning the top 3 will be announced. From Rocky xxxxx' she typed.

Meanwhile Cece, asleep, groaned as the beep from her mobile woke her up. "WHO TEXTS AT THIS TIME?" she sighed.

Grabbing the phone, she saw Rocky's name. "ROCKY!" she shouted excitedly. "SLEEPOVER, YES!"

Suddenly Logan burst in on her.

"LOGAN? URGHH.. GET OUT OF MY ROOM" she screamed at him. She tried to brush her hair down with her hands.

"GET UP. Everyone else is up...and did you say Rocky is sleeping over?"

"Logan. You're wearing your boxers. I KNOW you just got up. AND IT DOESN'T MATTER IF ROCKY IS SLEEPING OVER OR NOT. WELL NOT TO YOU ANYWAY" she squealed.

Logan looked down and realised he was only wearing his boxer shorts. "Oh. Well. See you – AND ROCKY – in 5 minutes. BREAKFAST." He replied, embarrassed.

It was evening.

Rocky walked over to Cece's house. They had been texting all morning about the results. Cece's mum was out, and Flynn was at a sleepover, so it would just be Logan, Cece and Rocky.

Rocky knocked on the door. "Cece!" she called. She looked down at herself. She knew Logan was there, so she decided to wear a tutu, leggings, a long sleeved top and coordinated doc martens.

Cece opened the door and the two hugged. They ran in and sat on the sofa. Cece put on a movie.

"Before we watch the movie..I want to talk to you Rocky." Cece began..She trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Cece, I'm fine. I've been a bit stupid lately but I'm happy now" she lied. Cece knew her best friend was lying, but she decided to leave it. She knew that if things got worse she'd have to tell Rocky's parents.

They put on the movie. It was halfway through when Logan walked in.

"Hey Cece. HEYYYYYY ROCKYYYYY" He said. He sat next to Rocky, leaning on her. Rocky smiled at him and frowned at herself for being so stupid. _You don't deserve him, you fat lump of lard, _ she thought to herself.

Cece began to get annoyed by the way her best friend and her step brother were gazing at eachother.

"LOGAN. GET OUT"

"Hey! No way!"

"GET OUT. ME AND ROCKY WANT TO BE ALO-"

Suddenly both their phones rang. They each picked up the mobiles and listened. This is what each of them heard:

Cece: "CECE JONES. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR AUDITION AND CONGRATULATE YOU ON YOUR SHORT LISTING. TOMORROW MORNING YOU WILL RECIEVE ANOTHER CALL CONFIRMING IF YOU ARE ONE OF THREE DANCERS TO BE WELCOMED INTO DARLOSTAR AGENCY"

Rocky: "ROCKY BLUE. YOUR AUDITION WAS EXCELLENT AND YOU HAVE BEEN SHORTLISTED. TOMORROW MORNING YOU WILL BE CALLED TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE ONE OF THE THREE DANCERS TO BE WELCOMED INTO DARLOSTAR AGENCY"

The two girls looked eachother. Unsure if the other one was accepted, they both felt the ends of their lips quivering. Realising that they were both happy, they knew that both of them were shortlisted. They stood up and jumped, holding hands. Logan waved his hands in the air and jumped too – for no apparent reason.

"YAYYY ROCKY" he shouted awkwardly.

"Er, thanks Logan. I CAN'T BELIVE IT CECE. WE BOTH HAVE A SHOT OF BEING PROFESSIONAL DANCERS" she squealed.

"I KNOW RIGHT? THIS IS AWESOME!" she replied.

They hugged again, both very excited. For a moment, Rocky forgot all the pain, all the worries. She remembered her life before the first auditions: no stress. She didn't even think about her body. Now? It was all that was on her mind.

They both realised their tight grips and jumped up and down. Rocky tired out; another reminder of all the aching in her bones and her body.

Rocky yawned and announced that she'd go get changed into her pyjamas. Whilst Rocky changed, Cece talked to Logan.

"You and Cece CANNOT date. STAY AWAY. She DOES NOT like you anyway, doofus"

"Well actually, PEABRAIN, Rocky DOES like me. And well..I might ask her out"

"EWWWWW...NO. WAY. LOGAN."

"You can't tell me what to do Cece, you can't –"

Rocky burst in. "Can't tell you to do what, Logan?" she asked, interrupting. Cece and Logan stared at eachother, before Logan broke the silence with a suspicious, 'NOTHING'. He ran to his room, whilst Rocky and Cece sat down together.

Rocky and Cece continued to watch the movie, and later did make up on eachother and made friendship bracelets. It was so much fun – just messing around. There were no awkward moments, no issues with food. Cece almost believed that everything was back to normal..and so did Rocky.

It got to midnight, and the two decided to go to sleep. They both wanted to get up early (ish) so that they could find out if they were one of the three people accepted into the agency.

Rocky couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned. She was too hot and became sweaty as she had to wear long pyjamas because of the cuts. And everytime the rough fabric rubbed against them, they stung awfully. She winced as she moved. She wanted to open the window, but she worried that it might wake Cece up. Rocky decided to stand up and walk around, believing that the stuffy room was only making her hotter. Her stomach ached and churned in its emptiness as she pulled herself up. Logan, in his room, heard Rocky stirring. He opened the door. "Rocky?" he whispered. "Logan?" she replied. He nodded and ushered her in. Too hot and bothered to argue, she walked in.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep. Don't look at me, I'm too sweaty and hot. Oh my god..I must look disgusting. I better go..Bye.." she babbled, delirious.

"STAY. Let me feel your forehead". Logan put his hand on it, and instantly realised that Rocky had a fever. He immediately took action; he put the fan on his room, got a cold flannel to put on her face, and then laid her on his bed.

"Are you feeling better?".

"A little. These stupid pyjamas aren't helping..Oh, oh my god. I didn't mean!" Rocky blushed and continued. "They're just very thick"

Logan smiled. He ran out of the room and grabbed a pair of Cece's pyjamas. He threw them in and waited for Rocky to change. He walked back in.

"Don't look at them" Rocky instructed, referring to the cuts. Logan teared up. He stroked her arms and then laid down next to her.

"Rocky..what happened? Tell me everything..I promise to not tell anyone unless you say I can. I promise. I'm here for you kay?'

Rocky began.

"I feel awful. Disgusting, stupid, lazy. FAT. FATFATFATFAT. I'm so..so..I can't explain it. SO bad, SO wrong. And when you look at me, you make it worse. You're so amazing, Logan, and I don't understand why you like me. And I can't even starve myself..I binge, I purge..I struggle to survive all this pain. I EVEN FAINTED ONCE. And Ty..he knows what's happening. I can't survive this. And now I'm burning up. I'm so weak. SO WEAK.

I'm so..so sorry.." she sobbed. Hot tears ran down her face.

"Hey, hey.." he wiped her tears. Rocky closed her eyes. Logan smiled to himself, happy she'd opened up. He fell asleep.

Rocky woke up first. She could not believe it: she was next to Logan. She got up, and wrote a quick note: 'Sorry for last night. Don't deserve you. Sorry. Best if we ignore eachother. From Rocky, xx.'

She ran into the living room and woke up Cece. Cece groaned, and made a sound similar to a dying bear. She opened her eyes and smiled at her best friend's face. Bony and odd – but still alive and grinning right back.

The two got dressed. Rocky refused breakfast and simply chewed gum, but they waited by the phone. They both got a call. This is what they heard:

Cece: "CECE JONES. WE ARE SORRY TO SAY THAT YOU HAVE NOT BEEN ACCEPTED. WE APRRECIATE YOUR WORK AND INVITE YOU TO TRY AGAIN AT THE REGULAR AUDITIONS NEXT TIME. THANK YOU."

Rocky: "ROCKY BLUE. WE ARE EXCITED TO SAY THAT YOU ARE ONE OF THREE TO BE JOINING DARLOSTAR AGENCY. CONGRATULATIONS! YOUR PARENTS WILL BE CONTACTED NEXT WEEK. THANK YOU!"

Rocky screamed and squealed. She looked at Cece. Cece looked as if she was about to burst into tears.

"Don't worry Cece. You're in Shake it Up anyway – I'm not" she said apologetically.

"I know. But Shake it Up Chicago is ONE GIG. An agency is something else. But I suppose you're right. I AM in Shake it Up. YOU'RE NOT." CECE smiled and blinked away her tears. She nodded, getting into the idea of them both being successful (even if Rocky WAS more successful).

Just then, Rocky got a call. It was Gary, from Shake it Up. He told Rocky that Gunther and Tinka had informed him of Rocky's shortlisting. He also told Rocky that he had phoned the agency, had found out that Rocky was going to be accepted, and so was giving Rocky a place on Shake it Up Chicago.

Cece looked like she was about to cry again.

Logan walked into the room. He looked Rocky in the eyes and, almost shouting, said "WHAT IS THIS NOTE ABOUT? I LIKE YOU. I NEED TO KNOW THAT YOU LIKE ME. THEN, MAYBE WE CAN GO OUT."

Cece burst into tears: "LOGAN. LEAVE US ALONE. ROCKY'S BEEN ASKED TO GO BACK TO SHAKE IT UP, AND SHE'S BEEN INVITED TO THE AGENCY"

Cece suddenly became angry: "SO MAKE A CHOICE ROCKY. SHAKE IT UP, OR DARLOSTAR?"

Logan joined in: "YEAH, MAKE A CHOICE. DO YOU LIKE ME, OR NOT LIKE ME?"

It became too much.

Rocky ran out, forgetting that she was wearing pyjamas. She ran out of the flats and down some alleyways. She sat in a corner and cried. Losing vision, she let the darkness fall as she became unconscious and stopped breathing.

Rocky's heart had stopped.


	6. Chapter 6 (Can't be Fixed)

Logan and Cece looked at eachother.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" they shouted at eachother in unison. Frowning, they became more and more angry, arguing about who had hurt Rocky more. Both of them got dressed and went to find her.

They went out of the flats and searched the town; they searched each shop, they searched the library, they searched Crusty's. As they walked back to the flats, they took a longer route. They passed an old alleyway..with a girl lying inebetween bags of trash.

Both of them ran as fast as they could to Rocky. Cece phoned Rocky's parents, her own mum, Logan's dad, and the ambulance. Logan checked her pulse.

"SHE'S NOT BREATHING".

The next moments happened very quickly.

All the parents came. The ambulance came.

They used a defibrillator, which gave her a pulse, however she fainted after waking, and was taken to the hospital unconscious. Only four people were allowed on the ambulance: Rocky's parents, Cece, and Logan.

As they were driven to the hospital, Logan explained everything that had been going on:

"It began a few weeks ago. Rocky started dieting and stuff. I don't know why..But I noticed she'd stopped talking to me, and sometimes Cece. And she ignored everyone else. She never ate at school, and Ty told me that she..er..what's it called? Ah yeah..binging. And she had loads of cuts. Sometimes she opened up to me, sometimes she won't talk to me at all. And one time..she fainted. She made me promise not to tell anyone..

And last night, she had an awful fever. I..I don't know why I didn't tell anyone.."

Logan paused. An ambulance lady patted him on the shoulder. Logan said nothing for the rest of the trip.

Rocky woke up. Cece, Logan and her parents were in a corner of a hospital room, talking.

"Uhh.." she said.

They all ran to her. Cece smiled and hugged her. Logan stood awkwardly, looking at his feet. Her parents hugged her too. A hospital lady came in and told her "Rocky Blue? You'll be in hospital for at least the rest of the week. Later an in-hospital psychiatrist and psychologist will be coming to speak to you."

Rocky's parents attempted to speak to her, but Rocky simply shook her head Her parents left at the advice of a nurse, but agreed to come back later. Cece popped to the toilet.

Logan looked at Rocky.

"Logan I'm so sorry.." Rocky began.

"Don't even start." Logan said. He went down on one knee. "Rocky Blue. I love you. Your eyes, your hair, your smile. You're hilarious and kind and smart and perfect in every way. Will you go out with me?"

Rocky chuckled. She nodded and whispered 'Yes'. Rocky leaned towards him and he went to kiss her. But before their lips touched..Cece stormed in.

She made a groaning sound. "I REALLY don't like that you two guys are..possibly dating..but maybe..Well, I'll live with it. FOR ROCKY. Not you, Logan".

Gary walked in.

"Rocky?"

"Yes Gary?"

"I've been talking to the hospital nurse as well as the agency, Rocky. The doctor doesn't want you to be dancing or exercising for a few months, but I'm happy for you to rejoin Shake it Up after that. DarloStar agency will keep a space open for you for five years, and after that will lose contact. You can't do both. I've talked to your parents, and they are also fine with this agreement. Contact me by next week. Thanks, Rocky. I won't bother you right now though.". Gary left.

Rocky smiled, excited and relieved. She could date Logan, she could be with Cece in Shake it Up. And she had time to decide if she'd want to be part of an agency, and in five years Cece might be accepted too. It was perfect.

Rocky would not recover for years. But she'd have therapy and a food plan and lots of support.

However, it was the following weekend that Logan and her went on their first date.


	7. Chapter 7 (Is this LOVE?)

"Guess where we're going!" Logan said.  
"WHERE?" Rocky laughed.  
"I know this little corner in the back of the park, with a stream and some nice little rocks to sit on."

They walked along, with Logan supporting Rocky when she got tired, to the stream. Logan sat Rocky down on a rock, whilst he sat on a nearby one. He stared at Rocky, who seemed distracted by a squirrel.

"Did YOU know that squirrels are one of the –"

Logan interrupted. "You look beautiful where the sunlight hits you. Really beautiful."

Rocky blushed. "Lets talk about something else. What did you do yesterday?"

Logan chuckled to himself. He tousled his hair and talked about school, about Cece failing two exams, about Flynn asking out a girl three years above him. Rocky giggled and laughed. Logan sometimes forgot what he was talking about as he let himself be distracted by Rocky.

When Logan had finished talking, he asked Rocky what she'd been doing.

Rocky cleared her throat.

"Well..there's been some talks with psychologists and stuff..Y'know..I'm back home on Monday but no dancing, no walking to school, no exercising..It's AWFUL. And they're making me eat so much..."

She realised that Logan was drooling.

"Err...Logan? You're drooling..a little bit.."

He immediately regained composure. "Sorry.."

"Don't worry" Rocky replied.

Logan was confused: "Wait..what were you saying? Sorry.." he asked.

"Oh..just about how much they're making me eat. I'm blowing up like a balloon." Rocky turned away and covered her stomach. Logan got up and hugged her. Rocky hugged back.

"Rocky you're beautiful." Logan told her.

"Logan..I do love you." Rocky said, squeezing him tightly.

They let go and pauses as their faces were just a few centimetres from eachothers. They leaned in..and kissed...


End file.
